This thread is for general tips and guides on how to find, recruit, and manage the best soldiers in Peace Walker.A lot of people will finish the game, and they'll still have Mess Halls, or Medical Teams, or even Intel teams, full of C-Grade soldiers and lower. To get the most out of Mother Base, and indeed the game, you want all of your support teams to eventually reach level 99. Remember that the higher your Support teams are, the more weapons and items will be unlocked for developing! This isn't limited to RnD either, most of the suppressed (Silenced) weapons are 'discovered' by raising your Intel team. Likewise, better Rations and food items are uncovered by improving the Mess Hall team.

However, it's no easy task to assemble all these soldiers, and many missions won't even have soldiers over B-rank. I have discovered a few missions that feature high-ranking soldiers, here:

[Main Ops] 05 - Rescue Chico (1 S-Rank Intel troop)In Camino de Lava: Junction, Miller tells you to watch out for snipers. The sniper is our target, he's the S-rank soldier, tranq the two mooks at ground level, then sneak around the left-hand side and place a Fulton Mine under the sniper and shoot it, or if you have the Carl Gustav (Fulton Recovery), you may as well just take him like that. Those are your only two options for recovering this soldier.-----

[Main Ops] 08 - Destroy the Barricade (2 S-Rank Intel troops)In this one, make your way back to Camino de Lava: Junction, there are two snipers in the same area as the sniper from Main Ops 05. One in front of you and to the right and behind. Use the Carl Gustav (Fulton Recovery) on them, or place Fulton Mines at the base of the cliff directly underneath each sniper, then shoot the mine to trigger it. After this, complete the mission normally.-----

[Extra Ops] 26 - Eliminate Enemy Soldiers (1 S-Rank Medical P.O.W.)Make your way to the other end of the map. After going down the narrow alley with a sniper at the other end, the prisoner should be against the wall to your left between two pillars. Fulton recovery her, then finish the mission. The soldiers you have to eliminate are nothing special, not worth recruiting.-----

[Extra Ops] 46 - Perfect Stealth (1 S-Rank Mess Hall, 1 A-Rank RnD, 1 A-Rank Mess Hall soldier, numerous B-Ranking soldiers of various units)In the first map, the second soldier you come across has an S-Rank in Cooking skill. In the next area, Camino de Lava: Junction, there's our old mate the Sniper, who incidentally is either an A- or S-Ranked Intel trooper. Remove the regular mooks on the ground from the equation, then C.Gustav (FR) or Fulton Mine him.

Instead of going to the objective, head to Cafetal Aroma Encatado: Entrance. The first two soldiers are nothing special, put them down. The third guy, who patrols behind the truck up the hill, is an A-Rank RnD trooper. The soldier patrolling the unreachable catwalk a little further on is a B-Rank Mess Hall trooper, if you want that. You'll need to Fulton Gustav or Fulton Mine him though. The next soldier along, near the end of the map, is an A-Rank Medical Unit trooper, again you'll need to Gustav or Fulton Mine him as you can't reach him to place a Fulton balloon in person. There's nothing special inside the Mill, so you can backtrack to the target.

In Los Cantos: Canyon, the furthest soldier from your entrance, on the bottom level, has an A-Rank in Medical. There's nothing special in Los Cantos: Ridge, but in Fuerte La Ladera, the soldier on the right on top of the battlements has an A-Rank in Mess hall.-----

[Extra Ops] 47 - Perfect Stealth (1 A-Rank Intel, numerous B-Ranking Intel soldiers)There are many B-Ranking Intel soldiers in this mission, almost every second soldier. However, the lone A-Rank Intel soldier we want is at Selvade la Muerte: Bottom of Cliff. There are two Ghillie-suited snipers hiding at the far end of the map: the one on the right (from where you start) is a D-Rank, but the other one who is slighlty closer but on the far left side, has the A-Rank in Intel.

In Ruinas de Xochiquetzal, the first soldier you encounter on the right has a B-Rank in RnD. Further along, the soldier directly in the middle of the courtyard has a B-Rank in Combat, and the soldier directly behind him has a B-Rank in Medical. Up to you whether you want to recruit them or not.-----

[Extra Ops] 48 - Perfect Stealth(1 A-Rank RnD, 1 A-Rank Combat Unit soldier, some B-Ranking soldiers of various units)In the second map, Small Maintenance Dock, the first soldier on the right as you enter is an A-Rank RnD soldier.

In the next area, Rooftop, the first soldier you encounter is an A-Rank Combat Unit soldier. This mission is fairly short if you don't screw it up, so it's possible to farm A-Rank Combat solders from it.-----

[Extra Ops] 49 - Perfect Stealth(2 A-Rank RnD, 1 B-Rank Medical soldier)As you start, there is a walkway that goes across you from left to right, about 30 metres in front of you. there is a P.O.W. (A-Rank RnD) in a nook on the catwalk.In the next area, Underground Passage A, near the end of this map there is a P.O.W. (A-Rank RnD) being guarded by two soldiers (Both B-Rank Combat). Recover them all if you need some Combat Unit soldiers, then head into the next area.In this area, Underground Passage B, there is a P.O.W. (B-Rank Medical). Recover her, then finish the mission. The RnD P.O.W.'s almost always morale-up into S-Ranks, and they often have awesome skills like Metamaterials Technology, Anti-Tank Rifle Design, etc. This is the mission you want to farm for RnD recruits.-----

[Extra Ops] 50 - Perfect Stealth(1 S-Rank Medical, 1 A-Rank RnD, various B-Rank soldiers)There are quite a few B-Rank soldiers in this mission that scrub up very nicely into A- and S-Ranked soldiers, but for brevity's sake I'll focus on the higher ranked soldiers.Once you've made your way to El Cenagal: Ravine, and are at the bridge, you should notice two soldiers on it. The soldier on the left has an S-Rank in Medical, as well as some Med Unit skills.

All the way in the last map, Bananal Fruta de Oro: Sorting Shed, there is a soldier inside the shed who patrols the back wall. He has an A-Rank in RnD, and some useful skills occasionally.-----

[Extra Ops] 55 - U.S. Soldier Retrieval (1 A-Rank RnD soldier)The A-Rank soldier in this mission is the target P.O.W., just recover him and complete the mission.-----

[Extra Ops] 75 - Armoured Vehicle Battle: LAV-Type C Custom(Numerous A-Rank soldiers of various units, most common Combat Unit)There's no hard and fast rule for A-Rankers here, but the first four soldiers that accompany the LAV are A-Ranked. Just try to recruit as many as you can.-----

[Extra Ops] 79 - Tank Battle: T-72 A Custom (Numerous A-Rank soldiers of various units, most common Combat Unit)The same goes for this mission as the one before. All the first escorts are A-ranked.-----

[Extra Ops] 83 - Tank Battle: MBTk-70 Custom (Numerous A-Rank soldiers of various units, most common Combat Unit)The same goes for this mission as the one before. All the first escorts are A-ranked.-----

[Extra Ops] 98 - Tank Battle: MBTk-70 Custom (Numerous A-Rank soldiers of various units, most common Combat Unit)The same goes for this mission as the one before. All the first escorts are A-ranked.-----

[Extra Ops] 100 - Armoured Vehicle Battle: BTR-60 PA Custom (Numerous A-Rank soldiers of various units, most common Combat Unit)The same goes for this mission as the one before. All the first escorts are A-ranked.-----

As a general rule of thumb, if the vehicle Op has fiveREDskulls, chances are the vehicle escorts are going to have some good skills. Many high-level Combat, Intel and Medical soldiers can be found in these missions. The best thing to do is find a mission you're comfortable with and farm recruits from it.

<Note: If you find any other missions with many high-ranked soldiers, let me know and I will add them to the list.>

Thanks to Twin_Master for bringing Main Ops 05 to my attention!

DETAILS

You can check the number of soldiers with certain ranks by hovering over a mission and pressing Triangle. Sometimes, the ranks can have a ? next to them (eg. S:?? A:?? B:04 C:08 D:00 E:00). If your Intel Team is high enough, these ?'s will be removed (the level for removing the ?'s over S Ranks is Intel Level 99).

Some of these missions require you to make it to the goal without being spotted or killing a single enemy. But there's no time limit, and in Extra Op 46 especially there's some really good soldiers just waiting to be recruited.In the first area alone, there is an S-ranked Chef, the second soldier you encounter. If you go into every area, use your Analyser, knock out and fulton every soldier who's any good, you'll soon find your Combat, R&D, Mess Hall and Medical Teams growing quickly. The trick is, don't take any soldier under B rank - that is, take only S, A, and B-ranked soldiers. This saves your Fultons for later soldiers who are more powerful, and prevents your base from being clogged up with essentially useless soldiers.

Of course, an Analyser is a must-have tool for... well, analysing soldiers. It's worth the time and Gross Military Profit (GMP) to develop this item to its 5th and final rank. The fifth rank will show all relevant stats of a soldier, as well as what items they have in their inventory. It will scan almost immediately.

*Note that even if you have a full Mother Base, you can still perform Fulton Recoveries on soldiers. Kazuhira will object, saying things like 'Mother Base is jam-packed. until some of these people leave...." etc. However, you can keep recruiting. If you have more than 350 soldiers at the end of the mission, you will be taken to a screen and asked to dismiss excess soldiers. So don't worry about seeing an A- or S-ranked soldier and having no more room, just recover him anyway.

When you've gotten your high-ranking soldiers, it's fairly easy to tell where they're supposed to go - you ALWAYS put the soldier in the unit that they have the highest stat in. You don't put a soldier in R&D when he only has a D in R&D, but an A in Intel. The only thing is, if the soldier has multiple stats of the same rank, eg. if they have C's across the board, then it's up to you to decide where to put them. If your Medical Unit's looking a little sparse, throw them in there until you get some decent doctors.

When it comes to Research and Development, ALWAYS check the R&D section after every mission. You may have missed something that you've unlocked, or maybe now you'll have enough GMP for that must-have upgrade. You're going to be spending millions, maybe even billions of GMP over the course of the game. The soldiers in your Combat Unit have a GMP+ Stat, this means that the total combined GMP of all your soldiers in the Combat Unit will be the maximum GMP you can have.

So don't be afraid to splash out on that new sniper rifle, or those Tank Boxes (Just note, that the tank boxes are essentially useless if you're never going to play Co-Ops. If you're definitely never going to play co-operatively, save your GMP for something else).

When it comes to determining how a soldier actually gets that S-rank, it's mostly pretty simple. Your soldier will have a base skill, in say, RnD, of A. When he hangs out with you some more, and you get more food by getting high-level chefs, his Morale will go up (That's the small orange bar over the main, red bar). This means his A Rank in RnD can be boosted to an S rank because he's feeling good.

It's a little different for Combat ability though. The Combat stat is calculated by the average level of the Battle Stats - Shooting, Reloading, Throwing, Placing, Run Speed, Walk Speed, CQC ability, and Defense skill. Unless you have a soldier that goes something like:

A A A A S S S S, and has incredible morale boosts, you won't be seeing an S-ranked Combat soldier. S-ranking any Battle Stat means having either the red bar, or the red and orange bars together, reaching the top of the column. And having a soldier with an S-rank in Combat means every single one of those bars needs to be at the very top. Even one point off and you'd still have an A-rank soldier.

To reach level 99 for each of your support units, you want every single soldier to be at least A in their respective skill. It's possible to have a load of S's and A's and several B's, but you 'll have to keep doing missions and recruiting if you want the best of the best.

Author: Twin_Master

Date: Jun 17, 10 at 3:33am (PST)

Subject: re: Mother Base - General Recruitment and Management-------------------------------------------Isn't there some S Ranked Snipers in the first few missions? The one where you've got to go and

Spoiler:Mission

Highlight this box with your cursor to read the spoiler text.Save Chico

Spoiler: Mission

Save Chico

right at the start?

Author: SGD

Date: Jun 18, 10 at 3:02am (PST)

Subject: re: Mother Base - General Recruitment and Management-------------------------------------------
Yes, that mission contains an S-Ranked Intel Sniper in the second map. You will need either a Fulton Gustav, or a Sleep Fulton Mine. What you do is, place the Sleep Fulton Mine underneath him, then activate it. The gas's range is huge, and should get him.

Author: Twin_Master

Date: Jun 18, 10 at 8:51am (PST)

Subject: re: Mother Base - General Recruitment and Management-------------------------------------------Oh nice. I am so getting some of these. Looks like a good list so far. Hopefully you can expand it even more. I can help with some collaboration if you'd like.

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bah worst drawing ive ever done...and its not showing properly...well you get the point, shes in the corner, next to the blue wall

...in the main ops "destroy the barricade" theres 2 s rank intel snipers, you know its them cause they suck at sniping...

Author: Solx

Date: Jan 02, 11 at 3:44am (PST)

Subject: re: Mother Base - General Recruitment and Management-------------------------------------------
where do you acquire the Fulton Mine, I just beat the Tank.

Author: Solx

Date: Jan 03, 11 at 1:38am (PST)

Subject: re: Mother Base - General Recruitment and Management-------------------------------------------
above is me actually. I just beat Pupa and got the Outer Ops Option in Mother base. About how much longer until i can get the Fulton Mine and The Gustov Fulton that i have been hearing so much wonderful things about.

Author: Bog Standard

Date: Jan 26, 11 at 8:52am (PST)

Subject: re: Mother Base - General Recruitment and Management-------------------------------------------
Go outside (as in leave your house in real life to get different access points), walk round and go to the recruit screen and do the recruit mission.

You will get 6 soldiers each time you try and when I just did this 20 minutes ago, of the 36 soldiers 3 were S ranks (2 in R&D and 1 in mess hall)

Seems to me to be the easiest way. You need to walk around to get different access points, else you don't get 6 soldiers at a time.

Author: I have an S ranked C

Date: Jan 27, 11 at 8:11am (PST)

Subject: I have an S ranked Combat Soldier-------------------------------------------
Also I have an S-ranked combat soldier, so it is possible

Author: SGD

Date: Jan 26, 12 at 5:02am (PST)

Subject: re: Mother Base - General Recruitment and Management-------------------------------------------
Bumping the topic to keep it on top, put in some new missions and stuff for people who still actually play Peace Walker.

Author: The_great_scott

Date: Feb 07, 12 at 1:00am (PST)

Subject: re: Mother Base - General Recruitment and Management-------------------------------------------
"Go outside (as in leave your house in real life to get different access points), walk round and go to the recruit screen and do the recruit mission.

You will get 6 soldiers each time you try and when I just did this 20 minutes ago, of the 36 soldiers 3 were S ranks (2 in R&D and 1 in mess hall)

Seems to me to be the easiest way. You need to walk around to get different access points, else you don't get 6 soldiers at a time."

Does anyone know if it is possible to do this with the HD collection version of PW?

"Go outside (as in leave your house in real life to get different access points), walk round and go to the recruit screen and do the recruit mission.

You will get 6 soldiers each time you try and when I just did this 20 minutes ago, of the 36 soldiers 3 were S ranks (2 in R&D and 1 in mess hall)

Seems to me to be the easiest way. You need to walk around to get different access points, else you don't get 6 soldiers at a time."

Does anyone know if it is possible to do this with the HD collection version of PW?

Probably. It's just Access Point scanning. Literally walk down the street as long as you live in civilization you'll get a few soldiers. I always found it boring to do it because of the impersonal army you had and the tedium involved with knocking them unconscious. I could be annihilating helicopters instead of bothering with Access Points.

Author: SGD

Date: Feb 08, 12 at 2:51pm (PST)

Subject: re: Mother Base - General Recruitment and Management-------------------------------------------
I doubt it'd work natively with the HD version, seeing as it's on the home consoles which you can't exactly take with you. You can use Transfarring to send your HD Collection save to your PSP, then walk around and shi-... stuff, then Transfar it back to your home console (PS3 only, I think).